Two other sensationalised murders of years past are also in the news. Amanda Knox, cleared of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher after eight years in an Italian prison, has been voicing her objection to Stillwater, a Matt Damon film, about an American father trying to exonerate his daughter up on a murder charge in Europe. It was directly inspired by the Amanda Knox story but her character in the movie appears to implicate her indirectly in the killing. Knox says “It is the false narrative that was presented by the prosecution that has been debunked by evidence and yet is the ongoing myth that is an obstacle towards me —- being taken seriously as a person.”
The other below is Louise Woodward, the British teenage nanny found guilty of the 1997 manslaughter of a baby in her care. The evidence will be trawled over in a new three-part documentary: Villain or Victim?
Knox, born 9 July 1987 2.47 am Seattle, Washington, is a Sun, Mercury, Venus in Cancer which sit across from Neptune in the 8th, with a ratchety, complicated Moon Saturn Uranus in Sagittarius in her 7th house of relationships. She wouldn’t have a settled emotional life, for sure, with a head-in-the-clouds 8th house Neptune and low emotional self-esteem from Moon Saturn and unpredictable reactions from Moon Uranus. Plus she has a ramped-up and angry Mars in Leo square Pluto.
What told against her initially were her odd reactions at the time and some discrepancies in the timeline she offered. There’s no doubt a drifter Rudy Guede was the one responsible but the confusion in the stories and the slanted police investigation turned it into a global media bunfight with her reputation being serially slandered.
What is noteworthy astrologically is not only her evasive 8th house Neptune; but also her Mars square Pluto. Like all astrological markers aspects have opposite ways of working out, depending on whether they are lived out or left unconscious and therefore attract what they don’t own. Mars Pluto is brutal/ruthless and Doris Duke clearly lived hers out to the full. But in others, especially women, they tend to attract brutality or hostile dislike, for reasons they don’t understand, because they find it difficult to utilise the high-octane Mars Pluto energy. It can be a plus point for those who work in crises areas – war correspondents, NGOs in the Congo etc or in domestic violence shelters – having courage and a cool head when others are losing theirs. But it isn’t helpful in ordinary life.
When Meredith Kercher was killed tr Saturn was conjunct her 8th house Neptune and tr Pluto was aiming to go into her trapped 8th house. Indeed it has only just emerged from there. At the moment her Solar Arc Neptune is conjunct her Midheaven which will be contributing to her disappointment and muddle.
Louise Woodward, 24 February 1978 3am Elton, England, who was convicted of second degree murder, dropped to involuntary manslaughter on appeal, of the death of a baby in her care, which hinged on conflicting medical evidence about shaken or dropped baby syndrome. Again it caught global headlines and again attracted intense media arguments for and against.
She is a Sun, Mercury, Venus in Pisces with a 9th house far-travelled Virgo Moon. She has a notable Neptune on her Ascendant opposition a 7th house Jupiter, so confident though not always realistic. She has a controlling Pluto on her Midheaven with a deeply buried Mars in the 8th, which is square Pluto and trine her Uranus – so she will have strong reactions. But again with 8th house and Mars Pluto there’s no way of telling whether she would live them out or attract hostility to herself. When the baby died tr Pluto was just across the square to her Mars/Pluto midpoint so she would have been under pressure running into that time.
Astrology is never an indicator of guilt or innocence but it is intriguing to see the way certain similar aspects play out – inwards and outwards. What caused problems in both of the above cases was the marginally odd demeanour of both when under police questioning.